Cycling UK Forum

What makes a climb difficult? Everything...
Ones that are burnt into my soul.

1. Bealach na Ba from the non-Applecross side into a gale. Had to stop twice for a breather.
2. Col de Galibier. Endless AND had a creak in my chainset. It was also really cold.
3. Holme Moss fully-laden into a strong wind from Holmefirth having done 78 miles with a 30mph crosswind the day before.
4. Tavistock up Dartmoor into a strong wind with driving rain when I was 40lb heavier than I am now.

Mick F wrote:http://www.climbbybike.com/most_difficult_climbs.asp?MountainID=4
Seems to me that there are no difficult climbs.
They are all climbs, and if it's difficult, you're doing it wrong ....................... or in the wrong gear, or on the wrong bike.

They have a difficulty rating for their climbs, but I searched around for details of the calculation of the index and wasn't able to find one, maybe it's hiding there somewhere. How do you compare a longer but less steep climb with a shorter steeper one? Without seeing their formula, we are therefore unable to see how they compare longer and steeper climbs, or if they adjust the score for altitude or being unpaved.

Also you have to submit a climb to get it on their database. There are plenty of monster Himalayan and Andean climbs they haven't got.

There's other databases and ratings of climbs around. I have seen actual formulas for difficulty ratings on some. I saw one once which had some unbelievable Italian climb which is a concrete road with sections at something like 40%, that rated came quite high on it. I suspect it is hard to devise a bike and gearing which makes it straightforward to get up that.

The hill has to be at least possible to ride up it!

I go with what mattsccm suggested. If the surface is poor and you can't get a good wobble line, it's as difficult as anything. It doesn't have to be mega steep or mega long, just "difficult".

Also, I agree with Gearoidmuar. The road up from Tavistock onto Dartmoor B3357 is bad enough at the best of times, but add in a headwind - like I had last time I climbed up it - and rain too, and it's a pig.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.55785 ... 534525,14z

I only know one climb that I would consider difficult. One of my collegues comes up it every day, but I have never made it up without walking. It's about 1 km long and goes up approximately 180 metres in the 1 km. There are bits that are flat enough to build on, so the steep bits are really steep. I don't know the gradient, but there are a couple of bits that are hard to walk up, let alone ride up. I have ridden down it, and I believe that it's possible to ride up it.

The climb I found hardest was the Gyatso La (5220m, not paved at that time), into a 30 mph headwind, which took 4.5 hours for 22km. By contrast, the Pang La (5205m, also not paved) a few days previously in fine weather, had been fairly straightforward, apart from a spluttering jeep getting in the way near the top.

It was the wind that made the difference. Trying to sit and twiddle at a pace your breathing could keep up with comfortably just resulted in wobbles and feet down, so I had to push as much as the lungs would cope with.*

[fix link]

WOW!
Well done!

iviehoff wrote:

Mick F wrote:http://www.climbbybike.com/most_difficult_climbs.asp?MountainID=4
Seems to me that there are no difficult climbs.
They are all climbs, and if it's difficult, you're doing it wrong ....................... or in the wrong gear, or on the wrong bike.

They have a difficulty rating for their climbs, but I searched around for details of the calculation of the index and wasn't able to find one, maybe it's hiding there somewhere. How do you compare a longer but less steep climb with a shorter steeper one? Without seeing their formula, we are therefore unable to see how they compare longer and steeper climbs, or if they adjust the score for altitude or being unpaved.

Also you have to submit a climb to get it on their database. There are plenty of monster Himalayan and Andean climbs they haven't got.

There's other databases and ratings of climbs around. I have seen actual formulas for difficulty ratings on some. I saw one once which had some unbelievable Italian climb which is a concrete road with sections at something like 40%, that rated came quite high on it. I suspect it is hard to devise a bike and gearing which makes it straightforward to get up that.

CLIMBBYBIKE-INDEX
(H*100/D)*2 + H²/D + D/1000 + (T-1000)/100


Whereby: H = difference in height; D = distance in meters; T = top of mountain in meters

The last part of the formula does only apply to mountains above 1000 meters.


http://www.climbbybike.com/climb_difficulty.asp

New innertubes arrived today.
Where is this hill?

It looks fun, but not difficult.

Mick F wrote:New innertubes arrived today.
Where is this hill?

It looks fun, but not difficult.

Schwalbe.jpeg

In the Tianmen Mountain National Park, northwestern Hunan province
http://www.dangerousroads.org/asia/chin ... china.html
200m to 1300m in 11 km, so fairly steep.

just imagine, if the Chinese had invented the bicycle before they built the Great Wall then the latter could have been like that road; think what a great ride that would be!

[BTW I know there are folk that have 'ridden' it, but they would surely have had to walk for many miles, because the gradients are extreme and there are many, many steps...]

cheers

andrew_s wrote:

Mick F wrote:New innertubes arrived today.
Where is this hill?

It looks fun, but not difficult.

Schwalbe.jpeg

In the Tianmen Mountain National Park, northwestern Hunan province
http://www.dangerousroads.org/asia/chin ... china.html
200m to 1300m in 11 km, so fairly steep.

200m to 1300m in 11km in normal units is .......................................

http://www.calculateme.com

656ft to 4,256ft in 6.8miles
That's a total ascent of 3,870ft.
That's 570ft per mile ...................... ie VERY VERY VERY steep.

The photo doesn't look steep at all.
Are we sure the facts are correct?

Mick F wrote:

andrew_s wrote:

Mick F wrote:New innertubes arrived today.
Where is this hill?

200m to 1300m in 11 km, so fairly steep.

200m to 1300m in 11km in normal units is .......................................

http://www.calculateme.com

656ft to 4,256ft in 6.8miles
That's a total ascent of 3,870ft.
That's 570ft per mile ...................... ie VERY VERY VERY steep.

The photo doesn't look steep at all. Are we sure the facts are correct?

1100 mts in 11000 mts = 10%

The hardest climb I have done was this year in Mallorca.
Sa Calobra:-
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... imb-164457
Took me an hour to do 6 miles.
Legs still hurt after 3 days but the breathing was O.K. as not that high at 2191 feet above sea level.

There's no way that that hill is 10% from the bottom, or as little as 7miles long.

Thinking ................

Mont Ventoux.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Ventoux

I've been reading this Wiki article, and I wouldn't mind riding it. Mrs Mick F is happy to go the the region (I know, coz we've chatted) and I could do it happily.

Average 7%/8% with steeper bits as well. I've checked on the local hills here in SE Cornwall, and Ventoux is doable easily, but a little long maybe.

Why rush at it? Why try to beat the record?
Take my time, stop for photographs, keep in a low gear, and enjoy the day.

yup, gotta be one to tick off the list, that. Bit cold/blowy at the top though, even in the middle of summer the weather can turn in no time.

cheers